It’s almost time for your baby to start on solid foods and you’re not sure which foods will be best. Don’t worry, this new stage can be tricky. Some of our favorites are bananas, avocados, and pears but today, we will focus on all of the wonderful benefits that sweet potatoes will provide as one of baby’s first foods.

Also known as yams, sweet potatoes knock white potatoes out of the park in terms of nutritional value, not to mention they are delicious! They are packed with fiber, vitamin B6, A, C and E, beta-carotene, potassium, calcium and folate. This all means that they will help keep your baby’s heart healthy, immune system strong and aid in tooth formation, blood cell formation and digestion.

So when can you introduce sweet potatoes to your baby? Most experts recommend waiting until your baby is 6 months of age. Try this simple recipe to get started:

Place cubed sweet potato in a steamer basket to fit a 3- to 4-quart saucepan filled with one inch of water. Place the pan with a tight fitting lid over high heat. Once water starts to boil, reduce heat to medium. Steam sweet potato until completely soft; 20 minutes.

Place steamed sweet potato in the Cuisinart® food processor work bowl fitted with the metal chopping blade. Process for 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl and turn machine on for and additional 30 seconds adding 1 tablespoon of cooking liquid at a time to achieve desired consistency.

Allow mixture to cool. Store in refrigerator in airtight container for up to 3 days or fill ice cube trays or other 1-ounce containers to freeze.